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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23972629">What are Freshies?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokis_Minion_Gurl/pseuds/Lokis_Minion_Gurl'>Lokis_Minion_Gurl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Moonlight (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Coraline Duvall is a bitch, F/M, Gen, Josef Kostan gives Vampire Lessons, Mick is Suicidal, Not Beta Read, Suicidal Thoughts, Vampire Bites, Vampire angst, referenced suicide attempts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:46:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,652</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23972629</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokis_Minion_Gurl/pseuds/Lokis_Minion_Gurl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Los Angeles. June 1957. Mick has been a vampire for the last 5 years. Mick has also been starving himself for the last three weeks. </p><p>Josef has just moved to LA from New York and decides to throw a sort of house warming party for himself to establish himself within the Vampire Community in LA. </p><p>Coraline drags Mick to the party to meet Josef for the first time and all hell breaks loose after Josef offers Mick a Freshie.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Coraline Duvall/Mick St. John, Josef Kostan | Josef Konstantin &amp; Mick St. John</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>What are Freshies?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So I kind of had this idea in my other moonlight story, Afterglow, about Mick and Josef meeting for the first time and Josef being the one to introduce Mick to the concept of Freshies, instead of Coraline... So this is that idea flushed out and made into a proper one-shot of its own.</p><p>Not Beta Read.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Los Angeles, California </em>
</p><p>
  <em> June 1957 </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Mick, Darling… you need to eat, you can’t keep starving yourself,” Coraline chastised, while she primped in the mirror of her vanity.</p><p>“I don’t care, Coraline… After the war, I never wanted to kill again but then you did this to me… I refuse to kill anymore and if that means starving, so be it,” Mick replied.</p><p>Coraline sighed heavily, “You’re so melodramatic Mick… are you ready to go?”</p><p>“I’ve been ready… not that I want to go anywhere.”</p><p>“Josef is a good friend, he just moved out here from New York. I want you to meet him and there will be other important vampires at this party,” Coraline said as she put the finishing touches on her make-up. </p><p>Coraline was wearing a crimson red sweetheart halter wiggle dress with a black lace overlay. The dress itself was knee length and body conforming, showing off all of Coraline’s ample curves. There was a slit up the back of the skirt to mid thigh. Coraline was wearing matching red lipstick and a dark smokey eye. She had her hair done in the Hollywood fashion of loose cascading curls with a deep side part. As for Mick, Coraline had him slick back his hair and dressed in a dark red silk dress shirt, black dress pants and shiny black dress shoes. </p><p>Coraline grabbed her purse and linked arms with Mick, half forcing him to follow her outside to the car. She drove them up to the Hollywood Hills, to Josef’s mansion, and gave the car to the valet Josef had hired for the evening. The party was already in full swing, Coraline insisting on arriving at least 20 minutes later than the invitation stated. </p><p>“Come on, Mick, it’s a party! Don’t look so sour,” Coraline giggled when she saw Mick’s face. </p><p>“I really don’t want to be here,” Mick said simply, “This isn’t exactly my scene.”</p><p>“It’ll be fun. You’ll see,” Coraline said confidently, ignoring Mick’s complaints as they walked inside.</p><p>As soon as they stepped inside, Coraline commanded the view of all those who saw her. She was sexy and she knew it. They couldn’t help but stare a little. Coraline half dragged Mick around, socializing with those she knew.</p><p>Josef saw Coraline making the rounds with some young vamp on her arm, who looked utterly bored and wanting to be anywhere but where he was. Josef, being the good host that he was, snagged two freshies, each girl holding onto an elbow, as he made his way over to Coraline.</p><p>“Coraline Duvall… I heard you were in LA. You look ravishing as always,” Josef complimented.</p><p>“Josef! Thank-you, it’s so good to see you again,” Coraline smiled, “May I introduce my husband and fledgling, Mick St. John?”</p><p>“Husband? You got married? Congratulations,” Josef said, a little stunned Coraline would settle down, “Would you both care for a refreshment?” Josef asked as he guided the girls towards Coraline and Mick.</p><p>Coraline accepted the girl Josef presented her, intent on drinking her blood. Mick, however, had been struggling since they arrived to resist sinking his fangs into the nearest human. He had been refusing to drink for almost 3 weeks now. He knew from experience he wouldn’t die from starvation but every day it was harder to resist the urge to feed. </p><p>He couldn’t stand being this close to so many humans anymore so he did the only thing he could think of. As the girl came close to him, Mick roughly pushed her away from him, back toward Josef, and ran as fast as he could away from the party. Despite having lived in Los Angeles his whole life, he never had been to the Hollywood Hills. He didn’t really know where he was going as he ran, he just knew he needed to get away.</p><p>Josef caught the girl as she stumbled from being pushed and looked sharply over at Coraline, “What the hell was that about?”</p><p>“I don’t know… He’s so dramatic,” Coraline replied, then hesitated before continuing, “Well… one of us better go catch him… he’s not gonna stop running… and I’m not really dressed for traipsing through the hills in search of him.”</p><p>“Fine, I’ll go find him… enjoy the party,” Josef sighed and rolled his eyes, then began following Mick’s scent, tracking him into the hills. </p><p>Josef could tell that Mick was running erratically, changing direction ever so often. Eventually he found Mick huddled down behind a tree, vamped out. As soon as Josef came near, Mick looked up at him like a deer caught in the headlights and ready to run again.</p><p>“Please don’t run again, I’m really not in the mood to chase you again,” Josef said.</p><p>“Please… please don’t make me go back there… I can’t… I won’t… please?” Mick begged, his voice cracking, on the verge of tears.</p><p>Josef stared at him in confusion, “Why?”</p><p>“Please… I don’t want to kill anymore… please don’t make me,” Mick continued to beg.</p><p>“Nobody’s going to make you kill anyone… why would I do that?” Josef asked, still confused, “Come on, let’s go back to the house and we can talk in my study, okay?”</p><p>“No… please no…. I can’t… I can’t…” Mick babbled.</p><p>Josef sighed and grabbed Mick by the arm, “We’re going back to the house. I’m not staying out here in the woods all night with you.” </p><p>“No… please no… please?” Mick begged, now sobbing openly, trying to pull away from Josef’s grasp but Josef just held him tighter.</p><p>“I’m over 300 years your senior. You’re not getting away from me,” Josef said as he dragged Mick back towards the house. Mick snapped at Josef a few times with his fangs, but Josef was able to dodge his weak attacks so Mick resorted to simply kicking, screaming and begging all the rest of the way back to the house.</p><p>He didn’t let go of Mick until they were locked away in his private study. Josef forced Mick to sit on the couch and stood in front of him, ready to force him to sit again if he tried to bolt again.</p><p>“Now then… what the hell is all this about? Huh? Why did you push Janice back at me?” Josef questioned.</p><p>“Who’s Janice?” Mick asked, still with tears in his eyes and vamped out.</p><p>“The freshie I offered you, before you ran off? Her name is Janice.”</p><p>“What’s a freshie?” Mick asked, having never heard that word before.</p><p>“What do you mean, ‘what’s a freshie’? How do you not know that?” Josef asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.</p><p>“What? I don’t… I don’t understand… I just… I don’t want to kill anymore… please?” Mick begged.</p><p>Josef sighed and pulled one of his office chairs over to sit down in front of Mick. “How do you feed?”</p><p>“I… Coraline… she… she finds girls and brings them to me… forces me to drink and then… after… she… she calls somebody and they… they… take the girl’s body away,” Mick tried to answer, not really understanding what Josef was asking.</p><p>“Right… so… when’s the last time you’ve fed?” Josef asked.</p><p>“Um… like… 3 weeks ago… give or take,” Mick replied, “I try not to… I don’t want to… but… she always finds me and forces me,” Mick sobbed.</p><p>“When were you turned?” Josef asked, knowing Mick is young as he can hardly smell any decay on him. Based on Mick’s behavior, he would think that he is under a year turned; however based on the amount of decay, it has to be more than that. Josef knows Mick is slightly older than he seems.</p><p>“1952… on our wedding night… she did this to me,” Mick answered.</p><p>“You didn’t know,” Josef asked rhetorically. Mick shook his head ‘no’ confirming what Josef suspected. Coraline may have introduced Mick as a “Fledgling” but Mick hasn’t technically been a Fledgling for 3 or 4 years. Most vampires are out of their fledgling stage after a year or two.</p><p>“Okay… First thing first… you <em> need </em> to feed. A starving vampire is not a good thing… has Coraline taught you anything about biting techniques?”</p><p>“No? I mean… just… bite down and suck?” Mick shrugged.</p><p>“Good lord, no! Not unless you want to cause the freshie pain or rip their throats out… and before you ask, a freshie, is somebody who knows what we are and is willing to feed us. You don’t have to kill to feed,” Josef explained, “Will you let me teach you the right way to feed?”</p><p>“Without killing?” Mick asked, wide-eyed.</p><p>“Yes, without killing,” Josef confirmed. Mick nodded his consent. “Right, so it’s not just biting down and sucking… and it’s not always the neck. You can also drink from the inside of the forearm… the inner thigh is also an option, but that is much more intimate for, hopefully, much more obvious reasons. You bite down gently but without hesitation. It doesn’t take much pressure to pierce the skin; our fangs are sharp for a reason. Once you’ve pierced the skin, you can actually retract your fangs from the bite, humans bleed easily and if you get your fangs out of the way, you don’t have to suck so hard, the blood will flow, trust me,” Josef instructed, “You know how if a human is impaled with an object, they don’t remove the object until they’re in the hospital because the object is actually keeping them from bleeding out? It keeps pressure on the wound and as soon as it’s removed they bleed more heavily?”</p><p>“Yeah… I was a medic in the war… before I ever met Coraline.”</p><p>“Right… so it’s sort of the same idea, if you keep your fangs in the wounds, it’s a lot harder to get the blood out. You have to suck harder and that hurts the human more, not to mention your fangs can rip and tear the skin more… If you retract your fangs after you bite, it’s a lot cleaner of a wound and the blood will flow much easier. The important thing to remember is to create a seal with your lips around the bite and just use your tongue to lap up the blood… if the blood flow slows, just suck lightly and it’ll keep flowing.”</p><p>“But how do I not kill them?” Mick asked.</p><p>“That’s where your hearing comes into play. You can hear heartbeats. Pay attention to the heartbeat while you drink. Once you hear it start to slow a bit, then lick the wounds clean, press the flat of your tongue to the bite marks for a few seconds to help stop the flow of blood and thank the girl. She might be a bit woozy, so just help her lay down while she recovers from the blood loss. Humans give blood all the time to hospitals… they recover quite well given time,” Josef explained, “Now, before I bring a girl in here… I want you to practice on me. I know I’m not your sire, and vampire blood isn’t going to quench your thirst, but I at least heal fast so better to practice on me and get the technique down before you try on somebody more fragile and mortal.”</p><p>“Okay,” Mick agreed. Josef got up, sat down next to Mick and gave Mick his arm.</p><p>“Look at my arm… You can see the veins, the arteries… on one side is the radial artery and the other side is the ulnar artery. You want to bite between the two, a few inches up from the wrist, in the fleshy part of the arm, however do try and avoid the anterior artery as well. I know the arteries look big and juicy and like you’ll get a lot of blood from them, and you would but you nick an artery and humans tend to bleed out fast, so if you don’t want to kill humans, avoid the arteries,” Josef coached.</p><p>Mick looked at Josef’s arm and saw what he was talking about. He nervously brought Josef’s arm up to his mouth and bit down in the spot Josef described and concentrated on retracting his fangs, it wasn’t easy since he hadn’t fed in a while. And then began lapping up Josef’s blood and then pressing his tongue to Josef’s arm to stop the blood flow even though Josef was already healing.</p><p>“Not bad for a first try… lets do it again,” Josef praised.</p><p>Josef had Mick practice several more times on his arm until Josef felt confident Mick could repeat the technique consecutively. Once he was sure Mick had it down, he called for his most experienced freshie to come into his study. When Alice walked in, he could sense Mick begin to panic again.</p><p>“Hey, buddy, it’s just like we practiced right? Only this time, it’s a human and I’ll be right here. I won’t let you hurt her, okay? Trust me. You’ll do fine,” Josef reassured and calmed Mick. Josef held out a hand to Alice and guided her to sit between Josef and Mick. “Alice, darling, my friend Mick here hasn’t ever had a willing freshie. This is a new experience for him and I’d like you to help.”</p><p>“Of course, Josef,” Alice smiled, “It’s okay Mick, I’ve been doing this for a while and I promise I won’t freak out… It’ll be okay, you’ll do great,” Alice reassured Mick and then offered up her arm to Mick, “Go ahead, have a drink.”</p><p>Mick carefully held Alice’s arm with both hands and brought her arm up to his mouth. He looked at the veins and arteries in her arm, then gently but quickly sank his fangs into her arm. Alice quietly gasped and tilted her head back against Josef’s shoulder as Mick retracted his fangs, keeping his mouth sealed around the bite marks. True to Josef’s word, the blood flowed steadily into Mick’s mouth. He swallowed the blood pooling in his mouth and began licking and gently sucking the blood as it continued to flow into his mouth, drinking it like a man dying of thirst. Alice moaned in pleasure as Mick drank from her.</p><p>“Don’t forget to listen to her heartbeat,” Josef reminded gently.</p><p>Mick stopped for a second while the blood still pooled into his mouth and listened to her heartbeat. It still sounded strong like when she first walked into the room and he continued to drink. Soon he heard her heartbeat change, slowing slightly and Mick licked the bite marks clean and pressed the flat of his tongue to the bite marks until the blood stopped flowing. Once he was sure she wouldn’t continue bleeding heavily, he pulled back away from her arm and stared at the bite on her arm.</p><p>Alice was lax against Josef but still alive. While her heartbeat was slower, it was still strong. He had fed without killing for the first time since that horrible night when Coraline turned him. </p><p>“I did it… she’s still alive,” Mick said in wonderment.</p><p>“Yes you did,” Josef agreed as he picked Alice up and opened the door to his study. Another vampire came over at Josef’s beconning and took Alice from Josef to put her in a more comfortable setting while she recovered from Mick’s bite. Josef closed the door and sat back down across from Mick.</p><p>“How do you feel?” Josef asked.</p><p>“I’m still thirsty… but better…”</p><p>“Then let’s get you more to drink,” Josef grinned and called in two more freshies, a brunette and a girl with black hair. Mick drank from both, first the black haired girl and then the brunette, while Josef monitored Mick to be sure of the girls’ safety. Once Mick was finished, he had staff members take the girls out of the room to recover elsewhere.</p><p> “I feel better than I have in years… and… I’m full and nobody died... I don’t have to kill to survive,” Mick answered, elated at his revelation, “I <b> <em>don’t </em> </b>have to kill to survive!” Mick growled, suddenly extremely pissed off at Coraline.</p><p>“All those girls Coraline forced me to feed from and kill! They didn’t have to die!” Mick exclaimed in anger, pacing the study like a trapped lion.</p><p>“You’re right… but stay here. I’ll go find Coraline. I want to have words with her in private,” Josef said, gently guiding Mick to sit back down on the couch.</p><p>Josef left the study and began searching for Coraline. He found her feeding from another freshie and waited until she was done. “Coraline… if I might have the pleasure of your company? In private, for a moment, please?”</p><p>“Of course, Josef!” Coraline purred, a sexy little grin on her face. She stood up gracefully and linked arms with Josef, leaving her admirers in her wake. Josef led her back to the study and as soon as they stepped inside, Josef’s entire demeanor changed. Coraline saw Mick by the desk (he had been pacing again, while waiting for Josef) and grinned as she walked toward him. However, before she could get much closer, Mick growled, vamped out and bared his fangs at her. Coraline stopped short in confusion at Mick’s obvious anger.</p><p>“You stay the hell away from me, you <em> bitch </em>!” Mick growled at Coraline, the anger radiating off of him.</p><p>Coraline gasped at Mick’s vulgar exclamation, “How <em> dare </em> you talk to me like that! I am your <em> sire </em> and your <em> wife </em>! You will respect me!” She screeched.</p><p>“That’s enough!” Josef cut in, “Mick, sit down. Now,” Josef commanded, putting all his age behind it. Mick quickly sat down on the couch, glaring at Coraline.</p><p>Josef turned to Coraline, “You, there!” Josef commanded, pointing to a wingback chair on the other side of the room opposite the couch, “Sit!” </p><p>Coraline looked indignant for a moment until she saw the look on Josef’s face. She primly sat on the chair Josef pointed at. </p><p>“What the hell is this all about Josef?” Coraline questioned.</p><p>“What this is about, is your fledgling who isn’t really a fledgling at all… he should be well past all this fledgling bullshit by now, and you know it! How the hell have you been feeding him since turning him?” Josef asked, knowing the answer.</p><p>“Is that what this is about,” Coraline questioned rolling her eyes, “I’ve been trying to teach him how to hunt like a good little vampire should but he refuses! How can I teach him if he chooses to starve himself?”</p><p>“Hunting, Coraline? Really? This is the 1950’s, we’re not in the dark ages anymore. It’s not the 1700’s anymore! Hunting is obsolete! Hell, even in the 1700’s, if you had any sort of social standing and money, hunting was obsolete, even then. Freshies have been around for a while, Coraline! You’re old enough to know that and I know you have money enough to afford it,” Josef chastised.</p><p>“It’s been all I could do to keep him from trying to kill himself! He’s constantly running away and by the time I track him down, he’s starving like he was tonight and I do what I can to keep him from going feral! If that means finding some random girl off the street and forcing him to feed, then that’s what I do,” Coraline argued.</p><p>“What do you mean he’s trying to kill himself?” Josef questioned, “Mick, what does she mean?”</p><p>“I don’t want this… what she did to me… I never asked for it. I didn’t know what she was until after she had already turned me… As soon as I realized what she was… what she made me… I broke off a table leg and tried to stake myself in the heart… I thought it would kill me but it didn’t… she just laughed, pulled it out and told me not to believe everything I see in the movies,” Mick explained, “I don’t know how to kill myself. Certainly not crosses or holy water… or stakes… so I figured maybe if I refuse to drink for long enough I’ll just die of starvation… but she won’t even let me do that.”</p><p>“Starvation won’t kill you either, Buddy… it’ll just make you rabid and go on a killing spree,” Josef said sympathetically.</p><p>“You turned him against his will, without even telling him vampires are real? Are you stupid?” Josef said angrily, turning on Coraline, “You know that’s against the rules! This is <em> my </em> territory and as such, I want you to leave Coraline. I don’t care where you go, but I want you to leave LA, tonight… Mick can stay with me.”</p><p>“No! I can’t leave! Mick <em> needs </em> me! I’m his wife! His sire!” Coraline argued.</p><p>“You turned him in 1952. He doesn’t need you anymore, Coraline. He’s not a fledgling,” Josef countered, “Leave now,” Josef commanded, putting the full force of his age behind it.</p><p>“Fine! I’m gone,” Coraline huffed in annoyance, then left as quick as she could.</p><p>“Good riddance,” Josef said to nobody in particular, then turned to Mick, “You’ll stay here with me for a while and I’ll teach you all things Coraline didn’t. Okay? Just… promise me you won’t starve yourself or try to kill yourself anymore, alright?”</p><p>“Yeah… not that I know how to kill a vampire anyways,” Mick said with a humorless, wry smirk.</p><p>“Yeah… once I’m sure you’re not suicidal anymore, I’ll teach you how to defend yourself and what can kill you so you can avoid it,” Josef chuckled, “Once you can feed from freshies on your own, and you’ve gained a bit of independence, we’ll work on fighting and using those vampire abilities and part of that will be defending yourself against the few things that can actually kill you.”</p><p>“Thank-you, Josef,” Mick replied.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah… don’t mention it,” Josef shrugged off, “I got a reputation to maintain. Don’t want people thinking I’ve gone soft in my old age.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank-you for reading. Comments and Kudos make this author happy!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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